Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Utah Democrats Call on Bennett, Bishop, Cannon to Stand Up to Bush on SCHIP Veto

Mitt’s Solution? Veto SCHIP, Then Expand It

SALT LAKE CITY - Utah Democratic Party Chair Wayne Holland today condemned President Bush’s veto of legislation that would have renewed the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

President Bush’s veto, which will prevent 30,000 uninsured children in Utah from gaining health care, comes despite overwhelming support of the American people for expanding SCHIP. According to recent polls, 86 percent of the American people support reauthorizing SCHIP, with seven in 10 saying they support the Democratic plan to expand SCHIP by $35 billion over five years.

Not only have a bipartisan group of 43 governors, which includes Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., called on President Bush to extend and expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, but seven states filed lawsuits against the Bush administration challenging proposed federal rules that would force poor children to lose health coverage.

Holland called on Sen. Bob Bennett and Reps. Rob Bishop and Chris Cannon to re-think their previous votes and join Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch, Rep. Jim Matheson, and other Democrats in voting to override President Bush’s veto.

“President Bush may think it makes sense to turn their backs on Utah’s children, but Sen. Bennett and Reps. Cannon and Bishop have an opportunity to put aside ideological differences and stand up for kids in the Utah,” said Holland. “Allowing President Bush’s to stand will have enormous consequences. Thousands of kids in Utah will simply have no health insurance and no hope to get health insurance.”

Mitt Would Veto SCHIP Bill, Then Expand It

When asked “if Mitt Romney were president today, would he veto the SCHIP bill as President Bush has threatened to do this week,” Romney said: “Yeah. Yeah, I sure would. I’d veto it out of my belief that we should have every citizen insured. I put forward a plan in my state that gets every citizen insured….The right pathway to get everybody insured is to help people get private insurance. The SCHIP pathway is simply the wrong way. It’s unfortunate the Democrats used this vehicle. It would have been far wiser to have a more comprehensive plan to have everybody insured.” (Kansas City Star online, 10/01/07 http://primebuzz.kcstar.com/?q=node/7151)